Bonding time with your baby is not only beneficial to their development, but it’s a lot of fun! And what better way to bond than with any one of the city’s many parent & me class offerings? These classes cover a variety of themes and topics (from music to yoga to tummy time) and they create perfect opportunities for parents and their little ones to meet other parents and their little ones, helping to forge lasting friendships. Here is a selective list of some of our favorites.
14th Street Y: The 14th Street Y’s Parenting, Family, and Early Childhood Center provides a welcoming and vibrant community for families in downtown Manhattan. They offer Expectant Parent classes, New Parents Stroll-In, and Mommy and Baby fitness. Their popular infant and toddler classes include “Messy Play,” “Learning Through Literacy,” and more, as well as drop-in classes. They also offer school year programs, as well as their Preschool, which helps young children acclimate to a school environment. 14streety.org
92Y: New parents and their babies meet every Wednesday morning to learn and make new friends at 92Y’s popular New Parent Get-Togethers. Each class covers a key topic, such as Becoming a Family, How Babies Play and Learn, Introducing Solids, Going Back to Work…or Not, and of course, Sleep. Come when you can to this drop-in class—no registration required. 92y.org
Applause New York: Are you a little bit “Broadway” and a little bit “Rock ‘n’ Roll?” Dabble in both of Applause New York’s fabulous parent & me programs. Begin with the Broadway Babies class, where your child is introduced to a different Broadway show each week, then switch to Rock ‘n’ Roll Babies, where your child will explore a different rock band each class. Toys, instruments, and props move this educational and entertaining class along! applauseny.com
Art Farm in the City: Art Farm’s Farm Friends class (for ages 18 months to 2.5 years) is the perfect program to engage your child in more play. The class will introduce school concepts such as transitioning to other classrooms and activities, all with a parent or caregiver’s support. This program will start in Art Farm’s main classroom, giving your child many options such as play dough, puzzles, creative play, trains, sensory activities, and more. Before the class ventures to the petting zoo to see the animals, everyone will create an art project. The program will end with meeting a new animal every week and free time in the petting zoo. theartfarms.org
Asphalt Green: Watch your child experience the joy of swimming in Asphalt Green’s Water Babies class! Under the guidance of an instructor, help your little one feel comfortable and relaxed in the water. Bond with your baby through fun songs and games while introducing your child to submersion, floating, and leg and arm movements in a temperature-controlled pool. Available at the Upper East Side and Battery Park City locations. asphaltgreen.org
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Ballet Academy East: Children, together with parents or caregivers, share in the joys of dance and music at BAE’s Petit Dancers Classes for ages 18 months to 2.5 years. Children learn coordination, musicality, self-confidence, and group and individual participation within a creative and positive environment. Classes have two teachers and piano accompaniment. balletacademyeast.com
Bija Kids: Come hang out and play with other little ones at Bija Kids’ Playgroup (drop-in) for ages 0-3. With parents or caregivers present, little ones explore puzzles, instruments, books, and plush toys in a warm, safe, and enriching environment. One of their dynamic teachers leads an enrichment activity each afternoon. bijakids.com
Chelsea Piers: Get your little one movin’ and groovin’ this semester in Chelsea Piers’ new Music & Movement class. This class provides plenty of opportunities for fun and bonding through live music and movement explorations, and incorporates elements of dance and activity to keep them engaged and having fun! Offered for children ages 4-12 months with parent/caregiver participation. chelseapiers.com/fh
Citibabes: The CitiBitty program focuses on the earliest stages of learning for babies ages 2-12 months. Alongside a caregiver, CitiBitty babies will work on physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development skills through age appropriate activities. The Citibitty Program progresses with your child, incorporating prop-based play, core development exercises, cruising, and non-verbal communication skills. citibabes.com
Columbus Gym: Keeping in the spirit of fun while teaching young children the skills they need as they grow physically, socially, and emotionally, the Tiny Tot Fitness program (10 months-3 years) concentrates on balance, coordination, and fine motor skills as children explore tumbling mat circuits, balance beams, rings, bars, trampoline, and activity stations. columbusgymnyc.com
The Craft Studio: Throughout the month of April, the Craft Studio is running trial dates for their new mommy & me (or caregiver & me) toddler mornings! Students will have 45 minutes with different interactive art stations, an art story time with movement, and tons of fun! They are running the trial dates (April 8, 15, 22, and 29) at a discounted introductory rate of $20 per child! craftstudionyc.com
Discovery Programs: You and your little dancer (ages 19-24 months) will enjoy movement, music, and social interaction in My First Dance—a sweet new class which introduces children to ballet and creative movement concepts. Using props, explorations, and stories, your child will feel the thrill of movement, become familiar with their body and enjoy group participation. discoveryprograms.com
Eastside Westside Music Together: Making music with your baby is a wonderful way to bond and stimulate learning during those precious early months. Join Music Together’s Babies Only class for infants 6 months and under and learn how music-making builds neural pathways and listening skills, supports emerging language and motor development, and enhances family bonding. eswsmusictogether.com
Gymboree Play & Music: The six-level Play & Learn program, spanning ages 0-5 years, provides a whole-child approach in six-month increments that exercises all aspects of a child’s growth. Original special events, multi-class discounts, and a generous make-up policy make the class a must for new families. gymboreeclasses.com
Gymtime Rhythm & Glues: Enter into a space where you and your child will experience hands-on exploration and connection with specialized music teachers. Children ages 14 months to 2.11 years will explore instruments, song, movement, and stories in Gymtime’s Music Class. Together the group will learn and build upon musical skills and concepts, while interweaving social and emotional learning. gymtime.net
Jazz at Lincoln Center: Jazz at Lincoln Center’s WeBop is an early-childhood jazz education program for children ages 8 months to 5 years (all classes are child and adult participation classes) which invites families to stomp, strut, and swing to the joyous rhythms of jazz as they learn about core concepts, instruments, and great jazz performers. JALC also offers Jazz For Young People family programs—hour-long narrated concerts for grades 2 and up. jazz.org
JCC Manhattan: JCC Manhattan’s Tummy Time class makes tummy time fun for you and your baby. Through songs, nursery rhymes, and exercises designed to strengthen muscles and provide mental stimulation, your baby will reach important milestones in a relaxed environment. And for all Tummy Time “graduates” who are looking for a continuation of your favorite movement class, try the new Crawlers Club drop-in class, which helps babies reach developmental milestones. jccmanhattan.org
Jodi’s Gym: Join Jodi’s Gym for their Mighty Muscle Movers class for ages 12-35 months. Their teachers will lead you (or a caregiver) and your child through an exciting class filled with running, jumping, tumbling, climbing, swinging, and stretching. The state-of-the-art facility will make every toddler want to jump for joy, and it’s just the right size for tiny tumblers! jodisgym.com
Karma Kids Yoga: At Karma Kids’ Parent & Child class (strong walkers–age 3) partner with your toddler in simple animated poses, games, art, music, and breathing exercises that help to strengthen coordination and build body awareness. You’ll bark in downward dog and flutter your wings in butterfly while you embark on a yoga journey that your child will never forget! Partner poses are always included. karmakidsyoga.com
Kick & Play: Brought to you by the creators of Super Soccer Stars, Kick & Play is a parent-child pre-soccer and movement program for ages 12-24 months. Little ones are guided through a world that exposes them to the basic principles of physical movement and pre-soccer through engaging activities using music, puppets, and more. kickandplay.com
Kidville: Big Muscles for Little Babies prepares and teaches grown-ups how to support their little ones as they progress from crawling to cruising. Each class features baby muscle warm-ups, and skill-of-the-week activities with inclines, balls, and tunnels! Children experience this gross motor class in Kidville’s state-of-the-art Big Muscle Gym. kidville.com
Little Maestros: Little Maestros continues to raise the bar in its specialty: Children’s music classes and parties. Classes are complete with original interactive activities, a language development segment, musical story time, imaginative and pretend play, global awareness segments, puppet shows with a special message, a dance party, and much more. littlemaestros.com
MAGIC Activity Center: In its colorful “little people” gym, MAC offers a progression of classes for children 2-18 months, structured specifically for babies, crawlers, and toddlers. Their youngest MAC family members experience baby massage, music, stretching, and physical stimuli to promote awareness and alertness, along with a tummy time component to build core strength and a mom share section, particularly for new mom support. magicactivitycenter.com
New York Kids Club: Children enjoy a variety of enriching parent & me classes at the New York Kids Club, including gymnastics, ballet, art, music, and sports. Parent/child favorites include Musical Tots, an educational class featuring classical music, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, and favorite nursery rhymes. A guitarist and singer lead group activities and sing-a-longs as your young musician is exposed to rhythm patterns, melodies, and a diversity of percussion instruments. nykidsclub.com
Planet Han: Children at Planet Han’s Mommy-Me Immersion Mandarin classes are always busy and always listening! Every week they are immersed in numbers and colors through songs, movement and colorful visuals. Planet Han packs the class with a lot of stimulation to make learning Mandarin fun! They overlay Chinese lyrics onto familiar English preschool songs so the children focus on learning the words. planethanchinese.com
Poppyseed Pre-Nursery: Poppyseed offers art projects, musical collaboration with instruments, story circles, dancing, tumbling, and more! Meeting 2-3 times a week, tots and caregivers boogie and bond while forging new friendships for life. The perfect bridge between home and nursery school, Poppyseed is for babies, toddlers, and 2s accompanied by an adult. poppyseedprenursery.com
The Prenatal Yoga Center: Mommy and Me Yoga focuses on strengthening the spiritual, emotional and physical bond between parent and child. Using interactive, slow-moving postures, the class is ideal for mommies and babies 4 weeks-crawling. Class also includes an infant massage and various exercises that assist in the development of your child’s motor skills. prenatalyogacenter.com
TLB Music: At TLB Music, students (ages 4 months-6 years) take a musical journey each session designed to help achieve development goals through play. This session, the curriculum is taking its classes on an imaginary trip back in time to meet music from the 1890s-1990s! Each week, kids meet an instrument, explore a new decade of music, and play age-appropriate instruments. tlbmusic.com
